Foster Care

How to Become a Foster Family

Park County Human Services is looking for foster families to work with us as a part of the county team.

Foster care is a protective service to children and their families when families can no longer care for their children. Foster parents embrace children, value their family connection, and provide a home free of abuse and neglect until they can return home, be adopted or live independently. They must be willing to care for a child, whether they are in the home for 1 day or for a year.

All foster parents must be certified in order to provide care for children. The best way to start the process is to make a phone call to Park County Human Services at (719) 836-4137 so we may send you information about the agency and the certification process. You may fill out the Original Application to Care for Children to start the process. Mail a completed application to:

Participate as a member of the treatment team working to strengthen and reunify the child’s biological family;

Value and help to maintain the child’s connections with their biological family;

Provide transportation to family visits;

Participate in case planning and related meetings;

Record the child’s observed behavior and progress, and address behavioral difficulties; and

Communicate with the child’s caseworker and other professionals, such as attorney or Guardian ad Litem (GAL), therapists, physicians and law enforcement.

Qualifications for Foster Family Homes are:

Must be at least 21 years of age

Must be a US citizen, legal permanent resident of the US or lawfully present in the US

Must have adequate space and a bedroom available for the foster child (May be shared with another child)

Must have a stable income to support your existing family

Must be healthy enough to care for a child

Must complete our application process and Pre-Service Training

Must pass a home study

Must be approved by Park County Human Services

Spouses or live-in partners must also be committed to the program.

A Foster Family:

May be of any religion, race, ethnicity, or cultural background

May be married, single, living with a partner

May rent or own your residence

May or may not be a parent

May be with or without children

Include diverse economic status and family composition

You will not qualify if any adults in the household have been convicted of any of the following (including any deferred judgment):

A crime of violence as defined in Section 18-1.3-406, C.R.S.

Child abuse as specified in Section 18-6-401, C.R.S.

Felony sexual behavior

Felony domestic violence

Felony physical assault or battery

Felony drug-related/alcohol-related offense in the past 5 years

*The State of Colorado and Park County Department of Human Services does not allow the use of or growth of marijuana by any adults in their certified foster homes, despite its legalization in the State of Colorado.